A bill to require the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program on Department of Defense partnerships with institutions of higher education recognized in the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity program for Cyber Research, and for other purposes.

to improve the cyber workforce pipeline of the United States;

to enhance military cyber training through academic collaboration, research, cyber range exercises, and create direct pathways for students into Federal cybersecurity careers;

to leverage existing scholarship and fellowship opportunities, such as the Cyber Service Academy, the Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation, and other cyber scholarship for service programs; and

to improve coordination, guidance, and counseling for participating students seeking to pursue careers in cybersecurity or cyber operations in the Department of Defense or elsewhere in the Federal Government.

Establishment of a research cell supporting aggressor operations through open-source intelligence, emerging threat analysis, and development of adversary emulation playbooks.

Creation of an assessment framework for determining the impact of the pilot program, including a cost-benefit analysis for partnering students with operational units, that—

Assessment of the curricula for participating students to determine if such coursework is relevant and impactful in preparing such students to directly support operational military cyber operators.

Tracking students participating in the pilot program to determine how the pilot program affects potential future employment with the Department of Defense or the Federal Government.